A recent study published in Nature Neuroscience reveals that excess glycogen induces neuronal death and causes a fatal kind of epilepsy that affects adolescents. This previously unknown mechanism could be key to understanding other neurodegenerative diseases, as is clear from research coordinated by Joan Guinovart Institute of Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) and Santiago Rodríguez de Córdoba Biological Research Center of CSIC . Read the rest of this entry »

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are highly toxic compounds produced in different metabolic processes. Normally, cells are capable of defending against such agents by the action of enzymes that degrade. However, increased ROS levels above the acceptable physiological limits leads to oxidative stress that may alter normal cellular functions and trigger cell death. In fact, oxidative stress in nerve cells is clearly implicated in the progression of various neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In this sense, the study of the mechanisms that control oxidative cell death is an important part of current research of these diseases. Read the rest of this entry »

The astrocytic Ca2 + signal is essential in the exchange of infor mation between astrocytes and neurons. Cannabinoid receptors are key to brain physiology, but its expression and function in astrocytes in situ is unknown. Marta Navarrete and Alfonso Araque, Cajal Institute, have investigated the expression of cannabinoid receptors by astrocytes and its involvement in astrocyte-neuron communication. Read the rest of this entry »